


High Hopes Quiet Nights

by Goldstone_Wolf



Series: High Hopes Low (Blank) [46]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game), High Hopes Low Rolls (Web Series)
Genre: M/M, Malark and Paddy being cute, Mention of injuries, Morning Cuddles, and also idiots, but cute idiots thankfully, sleepy mornings, uhh i'm too tired to continue so i'ma go back to editing a book
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-04
Updated: 2020-09-04
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:27:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26281906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Goldstone_Wolf/pseuds/Goldstone_Wolf
Summary: Legit what it says on the tin.Or, what happens in the little town that High Hopes stops in after a fight with some mutated owlbears.
Relationships: Malark Dundragon/Paddock "Paddy" Whitlaw, sort of - Relationship
Series: High Hopes Low (Blank) [46]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1692196
Kudos: 11





	High Hopes Quiet Nights

**Author's Note:**

> And this is round two of the multiple fics uploaded in a day because I’m trying to get ahead of the game before tomorrow (youth camp starts at the end of the day). Anyways, I get to do a fun little DND-based silent movie in my animation class, so let me know if you’re interested in seeing me attempt and fail at pantomime acting and a few rough shots of animation/animatic.   
> Anyways, let’s jump into the fic, shall we?

The quiet nights were always the best ones.

At least, that was what Hashaan mused as she watched over the younger members of High Hopes as they all settled into their beds. They weren’t staying in an inn for once. Instead, they’d been forced to shelter in the cottage of an older couple who didn’t seem at all fazed by the arrival of a group of weary, wounded travellers. The man was apparently a doctor, and he quickly treated their wounds while his wife helped sterilize tools and also make an amazing blackberry cobbler. _They’re two very kind humans,_ Hashaan mused, looking over at Malark and musing that some humans seemed to show their kindness while others seemed to try and hide it entirely.

For the moment, Malark was curled on one of the upstairs beds with Paddy, the two having immediately settled in like they were in an inn. It wouldn’t be the first time that they’d done something similar, it was just a habit of theirs. None of them were asleep _quite_ yet, though they were all definitely on their way. Walking around, Hashaan checked in on all of the other members. Nagar was slumped in a chair, axe laid out haphazardly across the floor like the idiot he was. Rolling her eyes, she set it against the wall closer to the fireplace. Gimgar was flopped with her arms crossed under her head closer to the table, Ava nearby after having started dozing off in her drink. Carefully, Hashaan moved the latter over to one of the chairs so that she would be more comfortable. The green-haired dwarf hardly even stirred, apparently hammered to a level even she didn’t normally reach. Mina and Terra and Zada were all flopped in one bed, all three of them snoring. Ryce had slumped down in a corner, Brio next to him with her head on his shoulder and the two apparently fine with each other. Or, rather, Brio was fine with Ryce’s existence.

As Hashaan went around tucking people into beds and moving them so they would be more comfortable, she felt someone’s eyes watching her. The older woman walked up to her, a quiet smile on her age-lined face. She was someone who had seen a lot and also suffered a lot. Despite it, she seemed to have grown from it rather than anything else. “Care for something to drink with me, dear?” The old woman asked, smiling softly. Glancing at the rest of the team, Hashaan paused and then nodded, venturing over to the table that Gimgar wasn’t currently sleeping on. Outside, thunder rolled across the world with the same gentle murmurs as crashing waves, and even Paddy was asleep just fine. Rain pattered on the windows.

As Hashaan talked with the older woman, she felt some of her own cares lifting from her shoulders even as she still wore her armour.

+++

When Paddy woke up, it was in the slow way of late and comfortable mornings.

Someone’s face was pressed into his shoulders, arms were wrapped around his waist, and they were absolutely _swarmed_ in blankets. Which made sense, they’d all staggered in with injuries and probably some mild hypothermia. Obviously, they needed to warm up, he didn’t feel like losing any of his limbs. He tried to move, and the person behind him made a slight grumbling noise and then shifted closer.

Turning slightly, he found Malark curled right up next to him. Smiling softly, he rolled over as best he could, feeling Malark stir just a little bit. Icy blue eyes opened a little bit, then fully, and looked up at him. “Hey,” Paddy murmured quietly, reaching up to touch Malark’s face. He’d pulled down his face wraps so that his face was a little more visible, and Paddy smiled at him. In a few hours, when they were much more awake, they’d both act like nothing had happened in the slightest. For now, however, no one else was awake. He could hear Hashaan and Nagar and Mina snoring like some rhythm. “How do you feel?”

Malark mumbled something quietly, and Paddy tilted his head ever so slightly. He took a breath, and Malark pulled him closer again. There was a brief moment where Paddy thought something so embarrassingly cheesy and gay that only he would think it, and he cut off the train of thought before it got very far. _Nope. This is totally platonic. Just two guys cuddling together in the same bed when there’s various options all around them and it doesn’t need to be a necessary thing. This is very much platonic._

_~~This is very much~~_ ~~denial _is what it is, you pasty potato._~~ His mind murmured, and he felt Malark’s hands go down to the bandages wrapped around Paddy’s stomach. There were a lot more, stretching up over his shoulders and around his left hip where he’d actually been partially impaled by a monster claw. The serrated spur hadn’t gone through his body entirely, but it had been lodged right above his hip in the soft section of his torso. He shivered rather involuntarily, and Malark jerked his hands away and then glanced up at him after a second.

“I’m okay.” Paddy murmured softly. He smiled at Malark, who returned it hesitantly. They both heard something and immediately played sleeping. Not quite dead, but for a brief second Paddy wondered if Malark actually _was_ playing dead because he couldn’t hear him breathing. Which terrified him for a brief second because his mind darted back to the night before when Malark had been impaled to a wall by the monster that had jabbed a claw into Paddy’s side. It just had not been their week with anything lately. Not their week, not their month, maybe not even their season. It seemed like the gods hated them.

After the person who was moving around—apparently Brio had woken up and wasn’t too happy about being cuddled up with Ryce, so she’d gone off to sleep in a chair—finally settled down again, Paddy felt thin, calloused fingers wrap around his wrist delicately. He opened his eyes and looked over at Malark, smiling and holding back a gentle laugh. From the way light danced in his eyes, Malark was _probably_ smiling on the inside.

A chonker of a cat hopped up on the bed and walked over between them, settling down and rolling over. It started purring so loudly that Paddy let out a soft snort. Malark shot him the weirdest look, then grabbed his hand.

The pair drifted off still holding hands.

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, I totally only added the last part because I wanted my boys to be able to be gay and happy. Also I’m going to buy a bunch of masks pretty soon and I’m debating whether to get the ace, trans, or nonbinary mask, some combo of two, or just all three all at once because then if anyone asks my gender while I’m wearing the trans mask I can legit say “trans masc”.   
> Uhh…I’m gonna go to bed. See y’all later today!


End file.
